


Have I Know You 20 Seconds or 20 Years?

by dontyoublink



Series: Can we always be this close? [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: A Pinch of Salt, Damian Wayne Feels, Damian Wayne is Bad at Feelings, F/M, First appearance of the Batgirls!!, Fluff, Humor, Marinette Dupain-Cheng is Bad at Feelings, Marinette's friends are so done
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:40:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24953917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontyoublink/pseuds/dontyoublink
Summary: Time passes. Marinette and Damian stay in touch.
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne
Series: Can we always be this close? [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1795474
Comments: 29
Kudos: 784





	Have I Know You 20 Seconds or 20 Years?

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "Lover" by Taylor Swift. Hopefully it conveys the idea of them getting closer as the months pass!
> 
> I wanted to challenge myself with this one and only use dialogue. Let me know what you think!

* * *

**September**

* * *

_Marinette:_

you wanna help me plan a murder

_Dami:_

Of course I will help you. Though you are

far too good to be involved in that kind of

business.

_Marinette:_

shut up! i can be bad 👿

_Dami:_

I never said you couldn’t, Angel.

_Marinette:_

angel?

_Dami:_

It seemed fitting. You are kind, supportive,

and far sweeter than most. In other words,

angelic.

_Marinette:_

may i remind you that im not the only one

whos sweet, mr i named bat cow after a

local hero

_Dami:_

Vigilante.

Anyway, who am I murdering on your

behalf?

_Marinette:_

ugh its lie-la 🙄

weve only been back at school for a week

and already shes told five different stories of

meeting celebrities this summer

including a story about attending the wayne

gala lol

and she told the class i was cyberbullying her

all summer

AND she threatened me in the bathroom

why is it always the bathroom??? 😩

_Dami:_

Remind me why you do not expose her? There

is plenty of proof that you attended the gala.

Not the least of which is the fact that you

know my family.

_Marinette:_

proof never mattered before

and even if they believe me im not ready to

be outed as mdc

_Dami:_

One would think that they would be able to

figure it out on their own since those are

your initials and you have been recognized

for your design work as yourself before

you created the brand.

_Marinette:_

yeah well

my working theory is that lilas a monster who

slowly feeds on their iq points until shell

inevitably leave them with nothing

_Dami:_

…

How much sleep did you get last night?

_Marinette:_

ummmmmmmmm

_Dami:_

Go to bed, Angel. I will talk to you

tomorrow.

***

_Edit contact: Marinette Dupain-Cheng_

_Change “Marinette Dupain-Cheng” to “Angel”?_

_Changes saved_

* * *

_Angel:_

hey dami, cant talk tonight because of a

commission

_Dami:_

Okay. I am sure that the client will love it.

_Angel:_

unless you want to video call

_Dami:_

I would not want to distract you.

_Angel:_

please i could do this in my sleep

actually im pretty sure i have

i just cant text because i need my hands free

but if youre not comfortable we dont have to

i know weve never tried it before

and i don’t want to push any boundaries

_Dami:_

I will call you in a minute, Angel.

_Angel:_

but i want to talk to you

oh

OH

ok

see you in a bit

***

“Hello.”

“Um, hi.”

“It…it’s nice to see you.”

“You’re nice to see too—I MEAN, it’s nice to see you too!”

“What are you working on?”

“Oh! My friend Chloé, the mayor’s daughter, is attending a political event with her dad, so she commissioned a power suit from me! Right now, I’m working on the blazer. Do you see how the…”

* * *

**October**

* * *

“Sunshine!”

“Mari!”

“How is our favorite Parisian doing?”

“Hi Jason, Dick, Tim! It’s so good to see you guys!”

“We miss you!”

“Yeah, it’s been six years with us and Demon Spawn still hasn’t learned how to share.”

“Like _you_ are the shining example of generosity, Todd.”

“C’mon guys, you agreed to be civil tonight.”

“Boys…”

“I don’t think that the promise means much if they don’t know the meaning of the word, Dick.”

“Not helping, Timmy.”

“ _Boys._ ”

“Yeah Replacement, fuck off. I can be civil!”

“You just proved his point, idiot.”

“BOYS!”

“…sorry Mari. What did you want to say?”

“I just wanted to ask how Gotham was! Are you staying safe? No hostage situations or anything?”

“ _Well_ —”

“—there _was_ the other week—"

“—but it was only Clock King, so—”

“ _Mon dieu_ , I was _joking_.”

“Do not worry, Angel. Everyone’s fine.”

“ _Angel?_ ”

“…shit.”

“THIS IS EVEN BETTER THAN ‘DAMI’!”

“Baby bird, that’s so cute!”

“I will _murder you all in your sleep_.”

“Aw, but Dami!”

“Do not call me that! And Marinette, _stop laughing!_ ”

* * *

_Missed call from Dami_

_Missed call from Dami_

_Dami:_

I thought we were supposed to call at noon

but if you are busy, we can reschedule. Let

me know.

Angel?

Angel, it has been three hours since we were

supposed to talk. I am concerned for your

safety.

I called the bakery, but no one answered.

Angel, please.

_Angel:_

sorry for scaring you dami ill call and explain

***

“Marinette.”

“Hi, Dami. Again, sorry for scaring you.”

“I was not scared. I was merely concerned, as I said.”

“…those are the same thing.”

“Hm. Just explain why you were seemingly missing for hours.”

“There was an akuma attack! I…went to a shelter, with my parents, and—and I forgot my phone!”

“An akuma attack?”

“Yes? Do you not know about them? I can’t remember if there was one when you were visiting.”

“There was, but it only lasted around 15 minutes, not _four. hours._ ”

“Yeah, depending on who is akumatized the length can vary. What do you already know?”

“A terrorist fights heroes through villains called akuma, and magic is involved.”

“Okay, so I’ve got a _lot_ to explain. About three years ago, an akuma named Stoneheart…”

***

“So basically, a coward terrorist hides behind brainwashed civilians and routinely destroys Paris for jewelry.”

“Magic jewelry.”

“And the city just deals with it.”

“Meditation is very popular now.”

“And the heroes don’t ask for help from the Justice League because…?”

“Can you imagine an evil Superman?”

“Point taken. I hate magic.”

“Hey, it’s not all bad! Ladybug can even bring people back to life after akuma attacks, good as new.”

“Angel, have you—have you ever died in an attack?”

“No, Dami, and I don’t plan on it. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. Ladybug and her team always win. They…they have to.”

“It still sounds like they could benefit from help tracking down Hawkmoth.”

“It probably would be helpful to have someone with detective skills…oh! Can you imagine if any of your heroes came here? They are all detectives, right?”

“Vigilantes. And yes, supposedly they are.”

“Wow, that would be amazing. A girl can dream, huh?”

“Indeed.”

* * *

**November**

* * *

_Angel:_

DAMI YOULL NEVER GUESS WHAT

HAPPENED TODAY

_Dami:_

Your caps lock is on.

_Angel:_

ITS BECAUSE IM EXCITED

_Dami:_

You can be excited without causing me

visual distress.

_Angel:_

ugh

fine

you happy now??

_Dami:_

Ecstatic.

_Angel:_

you better be careful or ill tell your brothers

you have a sense of humor

_Dami:_

There is no need for threats, Angel. What did

you want to tell me?

_Angel:_

oh yeah!

there was an akuma attack today and one of

gothams heroes was spotted with the

miraculous team!!

the one with bright colors

red yellow and green

_Dami:_

That would be Robin.

_Angel:_

its crazy that he showed up only a couple

weeks after we talked about the possibility

_Dami:_

Ladybug is supposed to be lucky, correct?

Maybe luck interfered.

_Angel:_

hmmm

maybe

_merde_ i was supposed to be at my friends

house 15 minutes ago

ttyl

_Dami:_

Ttyl?

_Angel:_

talk to you later

i really need to teach you slang someday

english isnt even my first language

_Dami:_

It is not mine either.

_Angel:_

no cap

_Dami:_

…

Now you are mocking me.

_Angel:_

😲 me?? i would NEVER

_Dami:_

Just go have fun with your friend.

_Angel:_

if you insist 😁

* * *

“Ohmigod it’s _her!_ ”

“Bring it down a few decibels, Steph.”

“ _Bonjour_ , uh, who are you?”

“She’s so adorable, I can’t believe the boys were right!”

“She has kind eyes.”

“ _She_ has no idea who we are, so we should probably introduce ourselves.”

“Oh, right, sorry. I was just so excited we finally got to meet you! I’m Steph.”

“Cass.”

“And I’m Barbara, but you can call me Babs.”

“You’re Dami’s sisters, right? Practically, that is.”

“He actually talked about us?!”

“Of course! I can tell he cares about you all a lot, even if he doesn’t quite say it like that.”

“Baby Bird’s gone soft.”

“Speaking of, where is he? We were supposed to—”

_“Gordon! Brown! Cain! Open the door this instant or they will never find your bodies!”_

“—oh.”

“Calm down, Dami, you wouldn’t want to scare away your girlfriend!”

_“Don’t call me that! And she’s NOT MY GIRLFRIEND! She is my friend!”_

“Thought she was your ‘Angel.’”

_“You—she—FUCK YOU, CAIN!”_

“Sorry about all this, Marinette. He refused to let us meet you—”

“Don’t know why, we’re fantastic!”

“—so we took matters into our own hands. Thought the ropes would hold him a bit longer, but what can you do?”

“It was certainly nice to meet you, but maybe you should let Dami in before he has an aneurysm?”

“Ugh, you’re probably right.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Get. Out. _Now_.”

“You know, it wouldn’t have come to this if you—”

“I SAID—”

“ _Dami._ ”

“…yes, Angel?”

“ Breathe. Babs, Cass, Steph, I’m sure we’ll get to talk another time. Right, Dami?”

“ _Over my dead—_ ”

“What was that?”

“I mean, yes Angel.”

“ _Whipped._ ”

“OKAY, THAT’S IT—”

“ _Mon dieu._ ”

* * *

**December**

* * *

“Angel, I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

“Are you _scared_ , Dami?”

“Of course not, don’t be ridiculous. I simply do not want any of leeches I call family finding out that I am learning to bake. They would never leave me alone.”

“That’s why we’re doing this when it’s the middle of the night in Gotham. But you know they’ll figure it out eventually.”

“ _Not if I can help it._ ”

“Whatever you say, Dami. What would you like to start with? Ooh, the holidays are coming up, let’s do gingerbread cookies!”

“Take it away, Angel.”

“Okay, first you’ll need…”

***

“How?! How is the flour getting everywhere? It’s in my hair, Marinette!”

“Rule number one of baking: you’re going to get messy. That’s why I told you to wear old clothes. Not my fault you didn’t listen.”

“I’m a Wayne, I have an image to maintain.”

“It’s three in the morning. Who’s going to see you?”

“You.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t—do not give me that look! Just, what is the next step?”

***

“Then you add a _pinch_ of salt—”

“How much is a pinch?”

“…I don’t know, a pinch!”

“It is amazing that anything you make tastes good if all your measurements are so imprecise.”

“That’s not what your family was saying about the macarons I sent a few weeks back.”

“My family is comprised of savages; they would be happy with anything you sent.”

“You ate your share in a day.”

“…shut up.”

***

“These…are actually very good.”

“See, I knew you could do it! Now, the most fun part is decorating, but I don’t think you have enough time for that.”

“Yes, I must clean before anyone wakes up and catches me.”

“About that…”

“Marinette if you told them I will never speak to you again.”

“I didn’t tell them, stop being so paranoid.”

“Then what is it?”

“I was just thinking about how making cookies would be a great Christmas present for your family!”

“You already know they love your baking.”

“No Dami, I meant cookies from _you_.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Just listen, please. I can tell how much you care about your family even though you won’t admit it. And I know you have a hard time expressing your emotions to them. Making something for them would be a nice way to show it without having to outright say anything.”

“…Fine, I will consider it.”

“That’s all I’m asking.”

* * *

“Merry Christmas Dami!”

“Merry Christmas Angel. I trust your celebration with your family went well?”

“Yes, it was wonderful! And I’m meeting up with my friends later—they’re still badgering me about meeting you, by the way—but I have some time until then. Did your family like your present?”

“Yes, they did. I thought Grayson was going to cry, and Brown actually screamed. Todd and Drake immediately started stuffing their faces after I confirmed that the cookies were not poisoned.”

“Aren’t you glad you listened to me?”

“If I say yes, then will you wipe that smug look off your face?”

“Yep!”

“Then yes. The family also enjoyed the reversible gloves you sent. Though we were curious why you stitched the vigilantes’ symbols on one side of each of them.”

“Oh, you know, after Robin started showing up here, I got curious and did some research on his team. Then I thought it would be a good tribute to your city to include them on the gloves!”

“Hm. Well everyone loves them. They were already wearing them when they headed outside for the family snowball fight.”

“What? Why aren’t you with them?!”

“I wanted to talk to you.”

“But—but I don’t want to keep you from them, especially today!”

“They see me all the time. Besides, you still have to open your gift.”

“Fine, but you better join them once we’re done or I’m flying over there to beat some sense into you.”

“Angel, I would not expect anything less. Now, your present?”

“Right! Where did I—ah-ha, here it is! The wrapping paper’s so nice, I almost don’t want to take it off…okay, here we go. Oh, it’s a necklace with…angel wings? They’re beautiful! I love the way the opal reflects the light—wait, is this _real rose gold_?!”

“I’m rich, what do you think?”

“Dami, I—I can’t accept this! It’s too much! I don’t deserve—”

“Stop. Do _not_ say that, _ever_. You deserve that necklace and so much more. You have told me some of the things your classmates say about you, so I wanted to give you something to remind you who and what you truly are.”

“D-Dami, I—”

“Shit, you’re crying—”

“No, no! These are happy tears! I just…you have no idea how much it means to have you in my life. I care about you so much. Thank you for the necklace and thank you for being here for me.”

“You’re welcome. I…care about you too.”

“I just got a text from Chlo, I need to head out now. You go have fun with your family, okay?”

“I will go, but no promises on the ‘fun’ part.”

***

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, is that REAL ROSE GOLD?!”

“That’s what I said to Dami!”

“Oh, so _this_ is the mysterious Christmas present! How _romantic_.”

“Chloé, no, it’s not like that!”

“Yes it is, Mari. That boy is in love with you.”

“Gami, not you too! Luka, back me up.”

“Sorry, but I gotta side with them on this one. Damian is clearly head over heels.”

“Ugh, traitors, all of you.”

“I don’t see why you’re complaining when you _obviously_ feel the same way.”

“WHAT! No I don’t, haha, what makes you say that?”

“Mari, sweetheart, you made gloves for his family.”

“So?”

“His _entire_ family, even the ones you barely know.”

“…you guys suck.”

***

“So, Baby Bird, did she accept your proposal?”

“What are you prattling on about, Drake?”

“Well we followed you to that jewelry store, you weren’t quite as sneaky as you thought—”

“I got her a necklace, not a _ring_! We are sixteen!”

“Wow, Demon Spawn, what was it? A heart? Ooh, maybe your initials?”

“Do not be absurd, Todd.”

“Guys, he got angel wings! Because she’s his angel, how cute!”

“That’s…actually fucking adorable.”

“How the _hell_ do you know that, Grayson?”

“I asked Mari to send me a picture.”

“Since when do you have her number?”

“Uh, since we knew that she was our future sister-in-law? We all have it. Even the girls, right Steph?”

“Yep! We text all the time!”

“That is _it_ , I am putting rocks in these snowballs.”

* * *

**January**

* * *

_Dami:_

That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard.

And factually untrue, as I have proven before.

_Angel:_

wait what

_Dami:_

I was caught up in an attack in Gotham a few

years ago. My heart stopped, but they were

able to revive me.

_Angel:_

damian

im so sorry you had to go through that

_Dami:_

Thank you, Angel.

_Angel:_

and im beyond happy that youre ok

but dont think that gets you out of my next

question

in which situation would you use the word

yolo?

a. youre about to go to a party instead of

studying for finals

b. you decide to eat a third piece of cake

c. youre going skydiving even though

youre scared of heights

_Dami:_

This is ludicrous. I would never be in any of

those situations.

_Angel:_

cmon dami just give me an answer

_Dami:_

Fine. Trick question, “yolo” would be

appropriate in all three instances.

_Angel:_

correct 🎉🎊

i knew you could learn this stuff

now, onto yeet

_Dami:_

Kill me.

***

_Dick:_

Hey Mari, you wouldn’t happen to know why

Little D said “big yikes” when Jason broke

Tim’s coffee machine this morning, would

you?

_Mari:_

richard grayson

are you implying that im teaching dami

slang words

_Dick:_

Uh

_Mari:_

because you would be correct

_Dick:_

Oh thank god, we thought he had been

possessed

_Mari:_

im so proud 😭

* * *

“So. _You’re_ Damian. I’m not impressed.”

“Chloé, you said you would be nice!”

“I agree with Chloé. He has yet to prove his loyalty to you.”

“Stop encouraging her, Kagami!”

“You know they’re just looking out for you, Mari. They don’t want a repeat of what happened with your class.”

“The fact that you would compare me to that group of lemmings is frankly insulting. It is clear to everyone with a brain that Marinette is one of the kindest, most talented, and most resilient people on this planet; I shudder to think what will happen when this class of empty-headed cretins is let loose in the real world. As for the two-faced phony that is Lila Rossi, the only reason that I have not already put an end to her is that Marinette does not want me to ‘flaunt my wealth’ for her.”

“…okay, you pass. You’re allowed to date our Mari.”

“I— _what_?”

“CHLOÉ! That’s not—this isn’t—why would you say that?!”

“Because—”

“Okay, I’m stepping in. Hey, I’m Luka, musician and friend of these three.”

“Ah yes, Marinette has told me of her work with Kitty Section before the other members turned into sheep.”

“I know I should be offended on behalf of my sister, but you’re not wrong.”

“Your _sister_ is _one of them_?”

“Calm down, Dami, Juleka’s never participated in the bullying.”

“So she is brainless instead of cruel? Much better.”

“Can we please talk about something else? I just want to enjoy spending time with all four of you.”

“Of course, Angel. Tsurugi, I was impressed by your performance at your most recent tournament.”

“Thank you. Mari tells me you fence as well. Perhaps we can have a match the next time you’re in Paris.”

“Gladly.”

“Stop sizing each other up! This was supposed to be _friendly_!”

“Yes, enough of the intimidation attempts. We should be talking about how you named your pet ‘Bat-Cow.’ That name is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!”

* * *

_Angel:_

hey dami?

_Dami:_

Yes?

_Angel:_

im really glad i met you

_Dami:_

Me too, Angel.

**Author's Note:**

> [Here](https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/248/9086/10h/origin-d5.scene7.com/is/image/bluestembrands/4NO6OAMSL0010_VA_999?scl=1) is the necklace that Damian gave Marinette.
> 
> And [here](https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Bat-Cow_\(Prime_Earth\)) is Bat-Cow's wiki page. It is a true delight.
> 
> This installment was a little different, but I hope you liked it! I'm kinda meh on the ending, but it was the best I could come up with lol. Either way, I'm pretty sure y'all will like the next one *smirks knowingly*


End file.
